Question:
I am looking to buy a pet fountain to try and increase the amount of water my cats are drinking. For the people that have them, what brand do you suggest? Have you ordered them online before? The selection at my local petstore isn't very good, with the cheapest fountain being $50 Can. I was hoping for some opinions before I spend that sort of cash.
Thanks Des for the fabulous sig!
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Answer:
This is in my opinion THE BEST CAT FOUNTAIN ON THE MARKET.
I had 3 from the "petstore" and the pumps failed on all three within a few months. I bought one of these about 8 months ago and it is still in perfect working order! We loved it so much we bought another one. The cats LOVE IT and it has a LIFETIME Warranty. It is well worth the money!
http://www.hammacher.com/publish/72732.asp
Answer:
I'm using the Petmate Freshflow -- two, actually, and they're both close to two years old and still running just fine. I did a side-by-side comparison of the Freshflow and the Drinkwell some time ago, if you care to search for it. But I found out about a new fountain that looks like a winner, and if/when I need to buy a new fountain I think I'll try it out:
http://www.hammacher.com/publish/72732.asp

Answer:
Check Walmart for the FreshFlow... that's where I got mine, and it was considerably less expensive.... It may not be the most expensive, but Jasmine will drink out of nothing else..... I've been using it about two years and I'm just now considering replacing it.... with another identical one....
Chrystal
Compliments of ForJazz
Answer:
Just a note here on the FreshFlows sold at Walmart -- the ones I saw there when I was shopping for fountains weren't the same model as the ones commonly sold online and in pet stores. The model I saw at Walmart lacks the flow-control feature.
Is that the case with yours, Chrystal? Do you have an adjusting lever that sticks out of the water pump intake?

Answer:
coaster wrote: I'm using the Petmate Freshflow -- two, actually, and they're both close to two years old and still running just fine. I did a side-by-side comparison of the Freshflow and the Drinkwell some time ago, if you care to search for it. But I found out about a new fountain that looks like a winner, and if/when I need to buy a new fountain I think I'll try it out:
http://www.hammacher.com/publish/72732.asp
Tim, that's the same one we have! We have 2 of them! They are the BEST!
Answer:
I also use the Petmate Freshflow. I've had it for about a year and it works great. Even the bunny prefers drinking out of it.
My only complaint is that some parts are hard to get at to clean (like the well where the filter sits).
and Cheddar too!
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I bought one at walmart a few years ago and it only lasted about 2 months before the motor quit.
I'll have to check into the ones you guys recommended.
Good question, QotN.
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how often do you usually change the filters on these?
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We have the Petmate Fresh Flow. We picked them up when Petsmart had them on sale for 19.99, which they do every so often, but it is also available from Petfood Direct for 25.00 right now.
I have never compared them to the other brands, they run quietly with no splashing sounds, and the price means that we can have several in the house. We've had ours for nearly a year with not problems. The charcoal filters for these are just rectangular fishtank filters, too, so we can replace the filters cheaply.
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I don't think the Freshflow filters are particularly effective. I run mine without the filter, but I fill them with filtered water. Instead I clean the fountains once a week, and if any crud gets in there before the week is out, I suction it out.
sefaleth - what brand fishtank filters do you use, and do they work better than the Petmate filters? I looked in the Petsmart fish dept and couldn't find any filters to fit.

Answer:
We get ours from a locally owned aquarium store- so I have no idea if they even have a brand. A decent fish/aquarium specialist store (i.e. not a chain store) should be able to sell you sleeves or cartridges that you can fill or cut to size.
Depending on the quality of the cartridge that you get, they work a good bit better than the Petmate filters - the more expensive filter meshes will allow water to flow freely without straining the pump, but will also fill more of the 'filter insert' tube so that gunk actually gets filtered out.
Here is someone who refilled their existing Petmate tube with fresh charcoal -
http://www.felinediabetes.com/petmate_freshflow_replacement_filters.htm
The concept is the same, except that we get our filled, framed and sealed already from the pet store, with an aquarium grade mesh/sponge/filter floss baggie.
From a strictly Petsmart perspective, maybe you could try reusing the old filter's plastic frame in these filter media bags and fill them up with any aquarium grade activated charcoal filter filler like this one
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Thanks.....I save a couple frames but haven't gotten around to making my own, yet. Thanks for the suggestions.

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I poked around a bit more, and found these Fluval brand carbon pads that can be cut to size -might be available at a Petsmart or Petco
Fluval Internal Power Filter Accessories by Hagen
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441776827&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030113&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1165349765252&itemNo=1&In=Fish&N=2030113&Ne=2#detail
Answer:
Here's the one I have for my cats...it's also called the Petmate Fresh Flow, but it looks a bit different... Petmate Fresh Flow
My cats love it, and it's really easy to clean. I got it about 6 months ago, and it's working fine still.
Hailey